Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Playwright VS Browshot

Compare Playwright VS Browshot and see what are their differences

Playwright logo Playwright

Playwright is automation software for Chromium, Firefox, Webkit using the Node.js library having a single API in place.

Browshot logo Browshot

Browshot is a service to take screenshot of web pages. Use any of our mobile and desktop browsers. We provide a powerful API and libraries.
  • Playwright Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-22
  • Browshot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-20

Playwright features and specs

  • Cross-Browser Testing
    Playwright supports testing on Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit, providing comprehensive coverage across different browsers, thus ensuring greater compatibility and a wider test reach.
  • Auto-Wait Mechanism
    Playwright automatically waits for elements to be actionable before performing interactions, reducing the need for explicit wait commands and helping to make tests more reliable and less flaky.
  • Headless Testing
    Playwright supports headless mode for all browsers, which allows for faster test execution and reduced resource consumption, making it ideal for continuous integration systems.
  • Context Isolation
    Playwright introduces the concept of browser contexts, which allows for isolated execution environments within a single browser instance. This enables parallel testing with reduced overhead.
  • Extensive API
    Playwright offers a wide range of APIs that cover user interactions, network interception, and browser automation, providing developers with powerful tools to create robust tests.
  • Network Interception
    Playwright can intercept and modify network requests and responses, allowing for advanced testing scenarios such as mocking APIs and simulating different network conditions.
  • Strong Documentation
    Playwright provides thorough and detailed documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and effectively utilize the framework.
  • Rich Debugging Features
    The framework includes features like verbose logging and debugging capabilities, which facilitate easier troubleshooting and quicker resolution of issues.
  • Support for Multiple Languages
    Playwright supports multiple programming languages, including JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C#, and Java, offering flexibility to developers based on their preference.
  • Community and Support
    The Playwright project has an active community and regular updates, ensuring continuous improvement and access to support from both the community and the development team.

Possible disadvantages of Playwright

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive capabilities and API, Playwright might have a steeper learning curve for beginners compared to some simpler testing tools.
  • Performance Overhead
    While Playwright aims to be efficient, its feature-rich nature can sometimes introduce performance overhead, particularly for complex test suites.
  • Evolving Ecosystem
    The relatively rapid development and updates can occasionally lead to breaking changes, requiring teams to frequently update their test scripts.
  • Less Mature Ecosystem
    Compared to more established tools like Selenium, Playwright's ecosystem is still maturing, which may result in fewer third-party plugins and integrations.
  • Limited Browser Versions
    Playwright's focus on modern browsers and web standards might make it difficult to test older browser versions or niche browsers, potentially limiting test coverage for legacy systems.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running multiple browser contexts and handling extensive network interception can be resource-intensive, requiring more powerful hardware or cloud resources for large test suites.

Browshot features and specs

  • Real-time Screen Capture
    Browshot offers the ability to capture screenshots of web pages in real-time, ensuring that users get the most current view of a website.
  • Automated Screenshot Service
    It allows users to automate screenshot capture through an API, saving time for developers and businesses needing to capture multiple websites regularly.
  • Multiple Browser Options
    Browshot provides screenshots from different browsers, allowing users to see how a webpage looks on various platforms.
  • Cloud-based Service
    As a cloud-based tool, Browshot removes the need for local software installations, providing ease of access and scalability.
  • Highly Customizable
    The service offers a high level of customization, allowing users to specify settings such as viewport size, resolution, and user agent.

Possible disadvantages of Browshot

  • Cost
    Browshot can become expensive for businesses with high screenshot demands, especially if extensive customization or large volumes are required.
  • Complex Setup for Beginners
    The API and customization options might have a learning curve that could be challenging for users with limited technical skills.
  • Dependency on Third-party Service
    Relying on a third-party service can lead to potential downtime or service disruptions beyond the user's control.
  • Limited Free Usage
    The free tier of Browshot might be limited, requiring users to upgrade to a paid plan for more extensive use.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based tool, there might be concerns about the privacy and security of the data processed through the service.

Playwright videos

Generate tests in VS Code

More videos:

  • Review - Playwright Brittany K. Allen wins 2021 Georgia Engel Comedy Playwriting Prize

Browshot videos

No Browshot videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Playwright and Browshot)
Development
100 100%
0% 0
Website Testing
0 0%
100% 100
Automated Testing
93 93%
7% 7
Browser Testing
88 88%
12% 12

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Playwright and Browshot

Playwright Reviews

Top Selenium Alternatives
Playwright offers a modern approach with auto-wait APIs and more native support for modern web features compared to Selenium's more manual and broad approach. While Selenium requires explicit waits and has a broader language support, Playwright focuses on simplifying cross-browser testing with its unified API and auto-wait features, which might reduce setup and test...
Source: bugbug.io
Top 5 Selenium Alternatives for Less Maintenance
Appium and Playwright closely resemble Selenium in terms of functionality but offer unique features and advantages. Both of these solutions require coding experience. Leapwork, a commercial vendor, uses Selenium under the hood to power their visual automation approach.
20 Best JavaScript Frameworks For 2023
Playwright, a Node.js library created by Microsoft, is considered one of the best JavaScript frameworks for testing. It automates Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit with a single API. Developers building JavaScript code can use these APIs to build new browser pages, go to URLs, and interact with page elements. Additionally, Playwright can automate Microsoft Edge since it is based...

Browshot Reviews

We have no reviews of Browshot yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Playwright seems to be a lot more popular than Browshot. While we know about 280 links to Playwright, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Browshot. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Playwright mentions (280)

  • CI/CD guide: store Playwright test results in AWS S3
    In my job, I've encountered a tool called Playwright for this purpose and was greatly impressed by its capabilities. You can program it to do all the things you do manually -- and run them automatically without needing to open a browser. It's no wonder someone took the time to transform such bloatware as a modern browser into something more automation-friendly. Amazing! - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • Design Pattern for Playwright End-to-End Testing
    This article introduces a design pattern for end-to-end testing using Playwright. This pattern is an extension of the Page Object Model, aimed at improving test code readability and reducing the increase in code volume when adding more test scenarios or test data variations. This pattern is adopted by SVQK. A working implementation example and its test results are available in the following repositories:. - Source: dev.to / 8 days ago
  • Why the Python Standard Library Needs a run_sync()
    I recently updated a small script I wrote to automate file uploads to a website with no API. It uses the excellent Playwright project to drive a browser - making the tedious task of filling out forms painless. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • No Dockerfile? No problem! Running Node and Python MCPs with ToolHive
    E.g. If you’re interested in running the Playwright MCP, simply do:. - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • SVQK - A Web Application Development Platform Using Svelte + Quarkus
    This command not only sets up the tools and scripts but also runs tests to verify that the tools and applications work as expected. The tests include unit tests for backend components, integration tests for manipulating Web APIs using a Rest Client, and end-to-end tests for frontend operations using Playwright. This setup command can be executed both on a local PC and in a CI environment. - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
View more

Browshot mentions (2)

  • Help me find a wesbite
    Do you mean a URL scanner that shows screenshots? Most online ones are paid but apparently these have a limited free option: https://browshot.com/ and https://botster.io/bots/bulk-website-screenshot-maker. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Selfhosted service to screenshot websites - but I'm not finding the options I need
    Man this sound like a job for browshot.com and curl. Granted it's only free for the first 100 images; but if time is money; maybe it's worth it... Source: about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Playwright and Browshot, you can also consider the following products

puppeteer - Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control headless Chrome or Chromium...

BrowserStack - BrowserStack is a software testing platform for developers to comprehensively test websites and mobile applications for quality.

Selenium - Selenium automates browsers. That's it! What you do with that power is entirely up to you. Primarily, it is for automating web applications for testing purposes, but is certainly not limited to just that.

browserling - Live interactive cross-browser testing from your browser.

BrowserCat - Easy, fast, and reliable browser automation and headless browser APIs. The web is messy, but your code shouldn't be.

CrossBrowserTesting - Browser Testing made simple! Run automated, visual, and manual tests on 1500+ real browsers and mobile devices. Test more browsers, in less time.